Friday, February 22, 2013

The frost is starting to disappear in the morning and the days are becoming warmer which means we will be heading outdoors. Before we head outside to smell the freshly cut grass and maybe catch a few baseball games, we always get the fever for a little Spring cleaning.

Spring cleaning usually involves cleaning out closets, getting rid of house clutter, deep cleaning the bathrooms, and all the stuff that we don't like to do, mainly because it takes up so much time. I found a list online on how to Spring clean and what should be done. Now this detailed list isn't for everyone and it will take some time, but it helps you get organized and pretty much tells you room by room what to clean. So, if you want to Spring clean to bring your house back to smelling and looking new. then check it out! You won't be disappointed.
If you are looking for a little closet cleaning, and just wanting to find out how to make your house clean while incorporating the whole family, here are some tips on how to clean the house quickly and make it fun for everyone at the same time. It's a great way of cleaning your house in a jiffy so the whole family can enjoy the great outdoors together.

Make spring cleaning family fun!

Competitive Garage Sale - Plan a garage sale and make a section for each family in the household and see who makes the most money. This will give everyone a little extra incentive for cleaning out their closest and drawers and getting rid of the stuff they don't wear or use anymore.

Bathroom or Bedroom Challenge - Making up cleaning games to get things done is always a great idea. This gets everyone involved and we all know that your child's clean bedroom always puts a smile on your face! What you can do is do this individually for a bedroom or pair up with a partner and pick a bathroom and see who does the better job. The winner can receive a special prize or maybe will be able to pick what is for dinner that night. Just make sure you get an outsider (maybe a grandparent of close friend) to judge so you don't have any bickering going on!

Garage Game Room - If you want to get your garage looking spic and span, give your family a little incentive by rewarding them when it is done. When the garage is done being cleaned out make it a place for playing games too. You can go as basic as a dart board or some chalk for hopscotch to finding an old ping pong table. Find games that can be put away and stored easily so the cars can still be parked when not playing. This will also help with keeping it clean and clutter free if everyone uses the garage.

Sale or Donate to the Salvation Army or Thrift Store - Garage and yard sales are great but very time consuming. If you want to get rid of your stuff quickly why not donate it to the local Salvation Army or thrift store? If you have young children, this is a great way to teach them about donating and helping out the community. This will give everyone a sense of pride and accomplishment, knowing they helped someone out. If you want to make a little cash, you can also put your items on consignment at the thrift store.

Watch Hoarding Buried Alive -- Okay I know this sounds funny but as a family sit down and watch an episode or two of the TLC TV show. My family watched this for the first time last year and as a family we all decided we would NOT keep things that we don't need. So if you are wondering how to clean your house and keep it clean, this is for you. After we watched the show the whole family went through a cleaning frenzy and it actually helps keep things organized and clean around the house. A great show to watch to jump start the spring cleaning.

Online Garage Sales -- There is a website where you can post or find garage sales. Facebook also has one that is becoming very popular. It's an easy way to advertise your garage sale items to get your items sold quickly and get all the clutter out of your house. You can either post your garage sale or post your items. This may be a better route for some if you don't want to have a full blown garage sale. It's also a great way to recycle and lighten the load on land fills.

Whatever method you and your family choose to get that spring cleaning done, in the end you will all feel better knowing everyone chipped in. Sure you may get some moans and groans at first but power through and make it a family affair. Plus your family may realize that spring cleaning, or for that matter any cleaning, is a huge chore and shouldn't be done by just one person. WHAT'S GOING TO WORK? TEAMWORK!